One of the worst things to happen in Project Zomboid is getting bitten. While you can try to avoid it as much as possible, it’s bound to happen eventually. Whether it’s the time you get surprised by one zombie in a house or a horde surrounding you. That’s why it’s especially important to know what to do when bitten.
This can easily ruin your run similar to other injuries that can be fatal for your character. Continue reading our guide below to learn if you can survive a bite or not.
What to Do When Bitten in Project Zomboid
First Confirm That You’ve Been Bitten
Not everyone knows that there is a difference between being Infected and having the zombie virus.
This is a common question in the community because of how deadly getting bitten can be. If you’ve been in a fight with zombies recently and noticed the heart icon at the top left moving erratically, you may be in trouble. Make sure to immediately click the heart and check your Health to see what’s wrong.
Before you start to panic, it’s important to mention that the heart will move left to right even if it’s a minor injury. So this doesn’t mean you’ve been bitten and are going to die in Project Zomboid quite yet. However, even if it’s something a simple as a scratch and you’re bleeding, you’ll need to take care of it.
Try to avoid hordes of zombies in Project Zomboid unless you have a plan to deal with them safely. Otherwise, you’ll have a good chance of getting bitten.
The real trouble is when you’re bitten by a zombie and the injury shown specifically says, “Bitten”. Also, while you can visibly see the animation of a zombie biting you, that doesn’t mean you’ll have the “Bitten” injury. One can assume this is because they weren’t able to break through your clothing. Since different types of shirts and vests can provide extra protection against zombies.
The rough part of being bitten is that there’s a 100% chance you’re going to turn into a zombie. This injury marks the beginning of your zombification and the potential end of your run. However, as mentioned in our article on What Happens When You Die, your run doesn’t have to end. This is because you can still continue playing in your world with a new character.
Can You Get Infected From a Scratch in Project Zomboid
Scratches can be just as deadly as bites if you’re unlucky. Keeping your clothes clean can help prevent infection, supposedly.
The sad reality is that you can still get infected from a scratch and turn into a zombie. This goes the same for lacerations as well. It can be difficult to know whether or not you’re infected if it’s not a bite. Because there’s no way to know immediately unless you have your server settings set to immediately kill you.
- Scratch – 7% chance of infection
- Laceration – 25% chance of infection
- Bite – 100% chance of infection
With that said, zombification seems to average a few days as symptoms quickly ramp up. These symptoms/moodles can be similar to other illnesses. But, you’ll likely realize they keep getting worse regardless of what you do to treat them. This is when you can assume you’re infected with the zombie virus. Here are examples of negative moodles that will appear:
- Increasing pain – Minor Pain, Pain, Severe Pain, Agony
- Becoming sick – Queasy, Nauseous, Sick, Fever
- Increasing stress (Anxious, Agitated, Stressed, Nervous Wreck)
- Unhappy – Feeling a Little Sad, Getting a Tad Weepy, Depressed, Severely Depressed
How to Cure Infection in Project Zomboid
Curing an infected wound is much easier than trying to cure the zombification process.
If you have an injury that says infected, make sure you’re not confusing this with the zombie version. This means your wound is infected and can be treated over time with clean bandaging and disinfectant. Ignoring an infection like this can also lead to your death if you don’t stay on top of it. Even though it’s nowhere near as bad as zombification from a bite, for example.
With that said, if you’re wondering how to cure infection/zombification, there isn’t a way in vanilla Project Zomboid. However, you can install a mod through the Steam Workshop if you own it on Steam. Antibodies is one example of a popular mod that will give you a fighting chance to survive. You can check out the Antibodies FAQ on the Steam Workshop page for more information.
The last thing you want to see when opening a door in Project Zomboid is a swarm of zombies waiting.
That’s all there is to this Project Zomboid guide on what to do when bitten. Unfortunately, there aren’t many options unless you plan on continuing your world with another character. Or if you download a mod as mentioned above to make it so you can treat infections.
Jeff is a journalist with over 10 years of experience writing, streaming, and making content about video games. With an associate degree in journalism, he’s a sucker for RPGs, survival games, roguelikes, and more.